The Kabbalah Unveiled — S. L. MacGregor Mathers (from Knorr von Rosenroth's Latin) (1887)
The text is shown on its own: no facing layer is held for this issue.
18. And the second earth came not into the computation. (That is, the kingdom of the restored world, which elsewhere is called the Bride of Microprosopus, came not into the computation when the six members were said to be created. Or otherwise, when in Genesis iv. 2 it is said in another way, “ And the earth,” that earth is not to be understood of which mention hath been first made ; since by the first is to be understood the kingdom of the restored world, and by the second the kingdom of the destroyed world), and this is elsewhere said.
[The kingdom of the destroyed world is that of unbalanced force. (See Introduction, §§41 and 56, and also note Section 3, foregoing.) This refers to a period prior to the development of the Sephiroth, and must therefore be referable to the Edomite kings.]
KABBALAH.
19. And it hath proceeded out of that which hath undergone the curse, as it is written in Genesis v. 29, “ From the earth which the Lord hath cursed.” (The meaning is : That the kingdom of the restored world was formed from the kingdom of the destroyed world, wherein seven kings had died and their possessions had been broken up. Or, the explanation of the world, of which mention is made elsewhere, proceedeth from the kingdom of the destroyed world.
[These seven kings are the Edomite kings before mentioned in section 3.]
20. It was formless and void, and darkness upon the face of the deep, and the Spirit of the Elohim vibrating upon the face of the waters. Thirteen (these words, from “ it was formless ” down to “ of the waters,” are thirteen in the Hebrew text of Genesis) depend from the thirteen (forms) of the dignity of dignity (that is, the beard of the Macroprosopus, or first formed head.)
[I have before remarked that the number thirteen expresses unity. The author of “ The Book of Concealed Mystery” here argues that the very number and order of the words in the Hebrew text refer to certain forms of the Deity. The terms “ face of the deep ” and “ face of the waters ” bear a striking analogy to Macroprosopus and Microproscpus, the Vast and the Lesser Countenances. In this sense the “ face of (from) the deep (abyss) }i is the countenance formed from Ain Soph, the Limitless One ; namely, the first Sephira, the Crown Kether.]
2 1 . Six thousand years depend from the six first. This is what the wise have said, that the world shall last six thousand years, and it is understood from the six numbers of Microprosopus. But also the six following words give occasion to this idea : VI AMR ALHIM IHI AVR YIHI AYR, Veyomar Elohim Yehi Aur VayehiAur : “ And the Elohim said, Let there be light, and there was light.”
[By an exegetical rule of numbers, not so often employed as the others, simple numbers or units signify divine things ; numbers of ten, celestial things; numbers of a hundred, terrestrial things; and
THE BOOK OF CONCEALED MYSTERY.
thousands signify the future, what’ shall be in an after-age. Hence are the “ six thousand years ” deduced from the six first words* which also are said to refer to the six Sephiroth of whom Microprosopus is formed ; the idea of six being extended into as many thousands, to symbolize that number on the plane of a future age.}
22. The seventh (the millennium, and the seventh space, namely, the Kingdom), above that One which alone is powerful — ( i.e ., when the six degrees of the members denote mercies and judgments, the seventh degree tendeth alone to judgment and rigour). And the whole is desolate (that is, the Kingdom, MLKVTH, Malkuth , in the higher powers, is the antitype of the sanctuary, and like as this is destroyed, so also the Schechinah, or Kingdom, is itself exiled) for twelve hours (for the Hebrews include all this time of their exile in the space of one day). Like as it is written : “ It was formless and void, &c.” (for from the word “ it was formless,” down to “ upon the faces of,” are twelve words in the Hebrew text of Genesis.)
[By the same rule, the millennium is deduced from the seventh word. The seventh space here means Malkuth, the kingdom, or the queen, which together with the six of Microprosopus, makes up the seven lower Sephiroth. (See Introduction, § 77, further, for the idea of the balance of mercy and judgment.)]